LIVE from the Camino YESA on the Aragones variant

[Vacajoe]

Three story albuerge in Yesa all to ourselves - why don’t more people walk the beautiful and incredibly historic Aragones route?!?! Walked from Ruesca and then took the variant to visit the Javier Castle (birthplace of St Francis Xavier). Total pilgrims other than us: ZERO!!! Total pilgrims we’ve seen since Jaca: six!!!!! Incredible stays in 10th century villages, castles, ruins, open vistas....

 

[nycwalking]

Buen camino.

 

[Silverton]

Three story albuerge in Yesa all to ourselves - why don’t more people walk the beautiful and incredibly historic Aragones route?!?! Walked from Ruesca and then took the variant to visit the Javier Castle (birthplace of St Francis Xavier). Total pilgrims other than us: ZERO!!! Total pilgrims we’ve seen since Jaca: six!!!!! Incredible stays in 10th century villages, castles, ruins, open vistas....

VacaJoe--So, the snow has eased at San Juan de la Pena for me!! That's great. I head out tomorrow and am also thinking of taking the northern route across from Artieda (is that where you crossed over the Aragon?) Keep the info coming, and thats for the photos--I too intend to visit Javier and go through the Foz de Lumbier this time! Buen Camino!
Silverton

 

[Vacajoe]

Our stops have been:
Jaca
San Juan de la Pena
Arres (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!)
Ruesta
Yesa
Lumbier

We took a route from Ruesta through Undués to Javier to Yesa, but if we had skipped Undués it would have saved time, distance, and a lot of uphill/downhill! All of it’s beautiful, but a lot more remote than the CF - don’t expect any ATMs, stores, etc.

What’s your planned route?

 

[oursonpolaire]

I've done the walk north of the Embalse de Yesa in 2009 and, aside from a small gas station with water and chocolate bars at the intersection of the A-137 with the N-240, there was Nothing At All between Berdun and Yesa (34km), although there were a few campings about 4-5km east of Yesa where I suppose I might have found succour. Almost all of the walk is alongside the N-240 with not much manoeuvering space for the pilgrim. The ruined town of Tiermas is a paradise for Spanish photographers but, for the pilgrim, the lakeside hot springs just to the east would be much more agreeable. If you don't mind making it a 38km walk, there is a sideroad from the Navarrese frontier which takes you up to the Monasterio de Leyre- perhaps if I can hitch a ride up the sideroad....